One of the last great names in the Japanese ukiyo-e style; Utagawa Kuniyoshi was an undisputed master of the warrior woodblock print. Born in Tokyo in 1797; his talent became evident by the tender age of 12; when he became an apprentice to a famous print master. Starting out with vivid illustrations of cultural icons mdash; including Kabuki actors and Japanese heroes mdash; he moved on to a unique treatment of warrior prints; incorporating elements of dreams; omens; and daring feats that characterized his distinctive style. These dramatic eighteenth-century illustrations represent the pinnacle of his craft. One hundred and one full-color portraits of legendary samurai pulse with movement; passion; and remarkably fine detail. A must for collectors of Japanese art and a perfect first work for those who want to start their own collection; it includes brief captions and a new introduction.
#984113 in eBooks 2012-06-15 2012-06-15File Name: B0086KQ32U
Review
18 of 18 people found the following review helpful. interesting and insightful look at conductors and their orchestrasBy John K. GayleyThis is a fun and informative book. I initially read about it through a review in the "Economist" magazine. The book starts with an obsession of the author to answer questions "how do conductors do what they do? How do they create magic on the podium by conveying their interpretations of the music to the orchestras (and then to us as the audience?)".What we learn is a fascinating combination of the art of vision...and (more importantly) the art of communication and empathy. By the end of the book. your view on what creates the "alchemy" has been balanced to reflect both the efforts of various conductors as well the enormous part played by the the traditions. organizational stucture and temperments of individual orchestras. Indeed. in an age where all (or most) of the marketing focuses on the guy on the podium. the role of the orchestra was the most important corrective I found in the book. Conductors can wave their arms all they want. but if they cant get the orchestra to go along with them...who cares about their charisma?Service does a good job in intermixing his firsthand observations. interviews with conductors. and interviews with orchestra members. Understandably. much of his description of this interaction centers on the rehearsals. I found it fascinating. I once heard an interview with Sir John Barbirolli in which he said aspiring conductors need to reconcile themselves to lives that are " an inexorable grind". as they learn the music and develop a point of view and then figure out how to convey it to orchestras. (although perhaps more politely expressed). there is nothing here to refute what Glorious John said those 50 years ago.The 6 conductors and orchestras Tom Service chose as the focus represent a fair bandwidth of the current greats. as well as one (relative) up and-comer:--Valery Gergiev. London Symphony--Maris Janssons. Amsterdam Concertgebouw--Simon Rattle. Berlin Philharmonic--Jonathan Nott. Bamberg Symphony--Ivan Fischer. Budapest Festival Orchestra--Claudio Abbado. Lucerne Festival OrchestraFor me. some of the most significant a-has were in his descriptions of how the orchestras were organized. their traditions and their governance. and how that impacts their relationships with the conductors. Unless youve really paid attention to this aspect of music-making. this is not something youd especially be attuned to. but it clearly does make a difference. One of the more striking points made is the difference between "ongoing" orchestras with a very long tradition. and "festival" orchestras that are in effect glorious pickup bands. He may not have intended this. but some of his most ironic comments (if I can call them that) come from describing the mighty Berlin Philharmonic. and the seeming difficulty they had getting their collective heads around Sir Simon Rattles desire to play all 7 of the Sibelius symphonies (i.e.. music insufficently in the mainstream of the German tradition. Finns inscrutable anyway. etc etc).If there is one cavil I have about the book (as a yank) its the Euro-centricity of his chosen subjects. True. these are some of the most prominent. and famous organizations with some of the longest traditions among orchestras operating today. However. Service makes a number of veiled (as well as explicit) references to how US orchestras are different from their European counterparts. Why not flesh these out? Even if the conductors are still mainline European. I would have been very interested in (say) how a Riccardo Muti feels he operates best with the Chicago Symphony (not without its own traditions)...how does it differ from how hes had to tackle relations (often contentious) with the European Orchestras with which he has worked? Osmo Vanska has been a superhero with orchestras both in Skandanavia and Minnesota...contrasting the two experiences would have been fascinating. Lastly. Service describes with admiration the artistic and social benefits of "Sistema" in Venuzuela; what better way to end the book than with a longer section on Gustavo Dudamel and how he works his magic with the Simon Bolivar Symphony?That aside. I found this a fascinating book. and was able to read it (almost) in one complete sitting. Highly recommended.3 of 3 people found the following review helpful. A Sisyphean ClimbBy DramaUrgeA Eurocentric look at a half-dozen orchestral icons and their road to concertizing from rehearsal to performance. along with insightful interviews from musicians for whom they performed. For those with the Berlin Philharmonic Digital streaming service (of which I am a happy recent subscriber) ndash; where most of them have appeared as conductors ndash; therersquo;s plenty to savor. including an informative chapter covering Sir Simon Rattle and his renowned charges. Ditto the sections on Valery Gergiev (London Symphony). Mariss Jansons (Royal Concertgebow). and Ivaacute;n Fisher (Budapest Festival). Even Jonathan Nott (Bamberg Festival). the youngest. who I was not familiar with. had an interesting take. Only the chapter on Claudio Abbado (Lucerne Festival) felt a little meandering and unfocused. But then the maestro was moving toward the end of his life (he died in early 2014) and the writer was working through his own bout of serious illness. The conductors and orchestras represented a good cross section with a continuum of viewpoints. There seem to be as many different approaches to music making as there are conductors.The material is presented at the intermediate level. though classical music lovers in general. I think. and professional musicians. will find much of interest. With Kindle you can check or recheck musical terms. At $ 9.99 this is a bargain.Therersquo;s a lot of verbal glad handing and PR posturing which add redundancy to the text at times. though there are numerous pearls of wisdom interspersed throughout the text. Acoustics for (and adjustments to) the various concert halls. rehearsal-performance dynamics. orchestral sociology or subculture. classical music history (including period performance theories). and lively. sometimes outsized personalities. make for interesting reading. While the degree of access varied for the writer based on conductor. the insertion of Q A format in places helped to break up the monotony of the narrative.This is a generally well written (typos aside) often passionate account of the classical music scene. which I am looking forward to rereading. 4+2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Insight into the mysteries of orchestral conductingBy Anne FrenchWhat do conductors really do? If youve never played in an orchestra. you have probably wondered. Tom Service introduces us to a handful of interesting to great conductors (including Gergiev. Rattle. Jansons. Abbado) to shed some light on the question. He has sat in on rehearsals. interviewed the conductors themselves. and talked to a bunch of players as well to get a well rounded view. Naturally the players dont always agree with each other. but a picture emerges nonetheless. Well written and insightful. Recommended for people who go to concerts and have always wanted to know just what conductors do (and what difference they make) but have not had anyone authoritative to ask.
